Dug our treasures there

Now it’s time for the year end wrap up. As you all know, there are no resolutions, only goals. Well, I broke that rule last year.

After getting involved with a rifle full of tequila. It seemed like a good idea at the time. After we all went around the table and everyone said their New Year’s Resolutions, it got to me. My “I don’t make resolutions” declaration did not fly. So I resolved to:

Not get any speeding tickets for 2012

Not do business with any more crazy people.

Done and done.

Now for the rest of the year end review. Purple represents positive progress but goal not achieved. Green is achieved, red is just stinking up the place.

Three closings per month, every month. -Did not quite make it. I closed 18 transactions last year. I am happy with that. It puts me in the top 10.

Raise average net commission to $7000 <—not that far off, currently $6100. This means raising average sale to $265,000 as my average side is 2.65% -Tore the cover off the ball on this one. $8184 per side.

Lose that goddamn 50 pounds -Meh. I took of 23, gained 5 back over the past two weeks. Not a total win but not a total loss.

Squat 225, Bench 300 and deadlift 350 in competition. -Stunk up the place on this one. Squat 175, Bench 175 and Deadlift 255. Blech.

Ride at 15mph -11.7. Another stinker, but part of that was that I didn’t start taking off weight until August.

New car. It’s that or a bus pass, the BMW is really over my bullshit. -If I had made goal #1 this one would be done.

Landscape. -Oy.

Eliminate personal debt -Not great but not bad. About 47% of it is gone. Keeping in mind that it was so bad that any one else would have filed bankruptcy. How bad? I would be halfway to a new BMW Active-E 5 series if not for the debt.

Remodel main bath -didn’t happen.

The problem with working at the Cult of Red is the rabbit holes. They are everywhere. One of the big ones was this thing called “BOLD”. It’s an eight week training program. Everyone swears by it. By week 5 I was ready to kill myself. It was, for me, basically first year crap that I had already learned, and a bunch of rah rah stuff, which naturally pisses me off. I finished the class but it took me out of my business for eight full days that I could have used to, I don’t know, do my laundry? The problem is most people won’t do what they need to do to run their business. I don’t have a problem with that, because I don’t have a choice. I run my business or I live in a refrigerator box under the 680.

I got caught up in some other Cult of Red rabbit holes last year. Once I recognized what was happening, I put a stop to it. I have made a pinky swear with two other agents in the office to reject rabbit holes. Each of us has a plan for running our businesses. If the rah rah event of the moment does not fit into our business plan, it doesn’t happen. Period. When it comes up, we look at each other and raise the pinky and it’s done. We have already rejected two harebrained ideas. It felt good. I had to learn to say “no” and not feel bad about it. I’m there.

One of my big issues last year was that I reached critical mass and didn’t know what to do. The way my business was set up, I could not add one more thing to it or the wheels were coming off. I let leads slip by simply because I was too busy to handle them. I recalibrated everything over the last month so I can handle exponentially more than what I was doing.

I learned that once I’m on the other side it will be smooth sailing. I just need to break through. It was a tough fight for sure. Last month I came within a rat’s ass hair of being handed back my license for crappy files. I was so overwhelmed I didn’t even know what was wrong with them. It was my biggest fear and it came true. I set up systems so it doesn’t happen again.

So without further ado.

Lose the last 31 pounds

Raise $7500 for the AIDS/Lifecycle

Six closings every month

Raise average sale price to $375,000. It’s currently $315,000

Ride at 15mph

Squat 230, bench 300, dead lift 435

New car

Eliminate personal debt

Landscape

Remodel main bath

Build mud room

I think I’m closer to getting this all done this year than ever before. I know what to do and what not to do. I’m really good at doing my job. Lots of realtors will sit around in the pajamas all day. I’m not like that. When I did REO work we used to joke about sitting around in our pajamas all day, but that was a different sort of business. It was full of paperwork for the bank. Real estate is full of people work. Clients just don’t drive up to your house to see if you’re dressed and want to take their listing or show them property.

I don’t know where I finished the year, definitely in the top ten, but I got as high as #6 last year in the office. This year it is my plan to take out number one. I know how she runs her business. She’s very good. She could be much better. I identified her when I first got to the Cult of Red as the one to chase. At the time she wasn’t the number one agent. She did that this year. Her little ship is coming apart just like mine. The question is who makes better adjustments. The nice thing about the Cult of Red is that we share our experiences. She is one of the two that I have the pinky swear with. She goes down rabbit holes too. If she stops that she could be terrifying. I have to be better. I like the competition and I like the company that I am keeping.

I got through the year without having to put down a single dog. I needed that. Losing Ike the year before was a tough one. Miss Cleo is chugging along. I know every day is a blessing with her. She’s a great dog. I hope to get Bill a new home before the end of January. He’s a great dog but he’s the one that upsets the apple cart. And he’s number five.

My mom falling and breaking her hip on the 23rd sure jacked up the holidays. And my plans to take a week off. But she’s got a partial replacement for Christmas and everything went pretty well. She is scheduled to come home on the 8th. It could have been much worse so I am thankful that she is healing well.

For the most part 2012 was a break through year for me. I know I still have to break the sound barrier but if I hang on I know I can break the sound barrier. And I know it’s smooth sailing on the other side.